


A Secret Conspiracy of Hearts and Pheromones

by zarabithia



Category: DCU (Comics), Supergirl (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: Community: mundane_bingo, Female Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-22
Updated: 2010-08-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 22:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6628540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara and Diana have a talk about legacies, burdens, and horses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Secret Conspiracy of Hearts and Pheromones

**Author's Note:**

> Continuity is pre-Wonder Woman 600. Title from the quote : "Women are in league with each other, a secret conspiracy of hearts and pheromones."

There are days when Kara wears all three of her legacies proudly. On those days, when things are going particularly well, Kara feels like laughing in her opponent's face.

"I'm an Amazon, a Bat _and_ a Kryptonian!" Kara feels like shouting. "Did you think you stood a chance?"

She doesn't ...usually. None of her mentors would approve, she's almost certain of it.

Other days, her legacies are more of a burden.

Because sometimes it's tough, having three different mentors, all of whom are entirely different from one another. Pleasing Batman or Superman by themselves is tough work - both Robin and Kon-El can attest to that, and Kara's had plenty of prime time bitching sessions with Tim _and_ Kon about that particular fact.

And Wonder Woman. Well, nobody could live up to that, and though bitching sessions aren't exactly Artemis' thing, Kara's certainly had _discussions_ about that fact with her. It's not that Diana's expectations are unreasonably high, it's more that Diana's shadow looms unreasonably large.

When that shadow is firmly wedged between the one cast by Batman and the one cast by everyone's favorite superhero, it's hard to feel grateful, even if deep down, Kara knows that she is lucky. It's hard to be appreciative when it feels like you can't even move.

So when Diana shows up during one such moody session, the last place Kara wants to be is with one of the three people responsible for placing her in such a bad mood in the first place.

But, as Kal has told her in the past, it's impossible to tell Diana no.

It turns out that Kal is right, because Kara flies alongside Diana, and she manages not to show her agitation at all, up until the point where Diana lands on a _farm._

"You know I'm a Lang these days, right? Not a Kent?"

"You're both," Diana answers, which is a pretty infuriating answer, really, but Kara follows her into the barn anyway.

"Then why didn't we just go to the Kent farm?" Kara asks.

Diana just smiles at her - it's almost impossible to stay irritated at a smile like that - and hands her a brush. It takes Kara a minute to understand what it's for, until Diana leads her over to a horse's stall.

Kara wrinkles her nose. "Ugh. Supersenses come with a price, Diana, and this horse definitely doesn't smell as fresh as the ones on Themyscira."

"Imagine how she must feel."

Kara wrinkles her nose again and lifts up the brush. "So, what, you want me to brush the horse?"

"I did promise the Travis family that we would give Lucky a good brushing in return for the use of their farm."

Well, that at least explains why they aren't at the Kent farm. Since Jonathan Kent's death, the farm has been doing some major scaling back, and there are no horses left there any longer.

It still seems bizarre to travel all the way to Indiana to brush a horse, though.

Kara lifts the brush and begins to stroke. She takes pains to go as slowly as possible, and frankly, the horse just looks as agitated as she feels about it.

"You're being too gentle," Diana says. "You're essentially tickling her. That's why she's agitated."

"Well, I'll gladly let _you_ do it," Kara offers sarcastically. "And I'll just step out and get some fresh air."

"Always finish the task you start," Diana answers and Kara thinks about sticking out her tongue.

"Fine." Kara increases the pressure and after what really passes for an indignant snort from the horse, he settles down and doesn't seem to mind her brushing.

It's kind of relaxing, really. Not the kind of relaxing that you fly a thousand miles for, but if Wonder Woman has the time to waste, who is Supergirl to argue?

As Kara brushes, Diana walks around to pet the horse's main. "The first visitors I ever took to Themyscira were surprised to see horses there," she tells Kara.

"Well, that's silly. Wasn't the first visitor Julia Kapatelis? Wasn't she an historian? Shouldn't she have known better?"

"It was more her daughter, Vanessa, who was surprised." Kara doesn't think that's very surprising at all, because there's a reason Vanessa went stark raving nuts and became a supervillain for a while.

But she doesn't say that, because if tomorrow Kara wakes up and goes in the same direction, she's not sure that some won't say the same about her.

"She thought they were far too pedestrian for our island," Diana continues. "I told her that she'd lived in Man's World too long. Horses _here_... the untamed are meant to be _broken_."

Kara expects anger in that voice, as there always is whenever Diana speaks of injustice. With Clark, it is sympathy, with Bruce, determination, and with Diana, anger. Even when their goals are the same, their approaches are different.

It's why a wise supervillain would rather choose to be punched by Superman any day of the weak, and it's one of the reasons that "S" lays so heavy on Kara's chest.

But this time, Diana's voice is full of the kind of sympathy that Clark usually has. Kara isn't sure if it's sympathy for the horse or for those that want to tame her.

"If they aren't broken, you can't ride them," Kara points out.

Diana shakes her head. "So I have been told. But I want you to know something, Kara. No matter how much they try to 'break' a horse, they're going to fail. It may look like they've succeeded, and she may take the bridle and the bit and the saddle. She may never show any outward discontent. But no matter how 'well-behaved' she might be, her trainers will never succeed in breaking her."

"So the horse is always going to be a little wild?"

"Yes," Diana says and the sympathy is gone from her voice, replaced by a gentle kind of joy. "And that, Kara, is a superb testament to her willpower."

"Some people might thing it sounds kind of scary," Kara argues. "Especially farmers."

"Scary, gentle, tender and powerful," Diana responds, rubbing the horse's main. "She is all of those things. It's what makes her who she is - and that's something to be cherished. A good farmer knows that, and respects her because of it."

Kara gives her a grin, thin. _"No one argues with Wonder Woman,"_ Clark has told Kara before, and Kara has always believed it is the fists that deter them.

But no - it's called the wisdom of Athena for a reason.

Kara really doesn't feel as moody anymore.

"It's pretty wonderful, alright. Diana, thank you for - " Supersenses again. People in Chicago are not quite as used to being terrorized by giant robots as the ones in Metropolis are, and their screams are pretty loud. "Gotta go."

"Need help?"

"Nah, I think I've got this one."

Diana smiles. "Gods be with you."

"Always," Kara proclaims, before lifting up and flying off. She feels bad about ditching Wonder Woman, but Supergirl has a battle to win.

She is an Amazon, a Bat _and_ a Kryptonian, after all. The robot doesn't stand a chance.


End file.
